The Trinity. .

The Trinity. By Roger E. Olson and Christopher A. Hall. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2002. vii and 156 pages. Paper. $15.00.

This short book, a guide to the historical development of the doctrine of the Trinity and its contemporary reinterpretations, will be welcomed by teachers of introductory theology classes. Olson and Hall are markedly judicious in their overall treatment. The book's outline is simple and straightforward. It starts with "Patristic Contributions" and then deals with "Medieval, Reformation, and Modern Contributions." The book concludes with a 30-page annotated bibliography, extensive and highly valuable not just for the student but also the seasoned scholar.

The section on the patristics (Apologists, Clement, Origen, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Cappadocians, Hilary, Augustine) skillfully and succinctly handles material which for most beginning students is highly complex and turgid. This will be welcomed by many instructors. The sections on Richard of St. Victor, Joachim of Fiore, and Aquinas crosses the information gap about medieval views of the Trinity that result from many scholars ignoring important medieval contributions. The authors' attempt to discern Luther's view of the Trinity largely from Ewald Plass's What Luther Says is disappointing for this reviewer. However, their reporting on Enlightenment thinkers, such as Zinzendorf and Edwards, corrects a gap in the history of trinitarian doctrine since these thinkers are often ignored. The theologies of the later Barth and Rahner, who contend that the economic Trinity is one with the immanent and vice versa, are masterfully treated, as well as the contemporary thinkers influenced by them: Moltmann, LaCugna, Boff, a nd Ziziouslas. The impact that Moltmann has given to trinitarian theology is thoroughly covered. In this regard, the absence of Pannenberg's trinitarianism, in which the Trinity is so crucial in the development of his overall systematic theology and doctrine of God, is surprising.

However, irrespective of a few caveats, this book is a sane and readable account of the importance of trinitarian theology to be welcomed by students, clergy, and lay readers.